Alabama football will face its hardest challenge of the 2024 season on Saturday, when Georgia visits Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will mark Kalen DeBoer’s first SEC challenge as head coach of the Crimson Tide, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart will return to Tuscaloosa for the second time since leaving his position as defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban.
The game is the centerpiece of Saturday’s college football schedule, with ESPN’s College Gameday (featuring Saban) in town, and a primetime slot on ABC. Alabama and Georgia are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Prevent explosive plays
Georgia has struggled all season to take the top off offensively. If Alabama’s defense can continue that trend, the Crimson Tide will be in great shape.
The threat is there though. Quarterback Carson Beck certainly has the ability, and there’s enough receivers who could have a breakout game, not the least of which is Dominic Lovett, who was a serious deep threat at Missouri before transferring to Athens.
Make explosive plays
While Georgia’s offense has failed to create huge plays, the defense does not allow many explosive plays. If Alabama wants to be successful, it will need to reverse this.
The Crimson Tide has had trouble sustaining drives early in the 2024 season. If it can find the end zone via a long throw to Ryan Wiliams or run by Jam Miller, that’s fine.
However, if Alabama gets stifled, it could make for a long night at Bryant-Denny. Perhaps UA can figure out how to extend drives in a new way, which would mitigate the damage, but it’s more likely that finding explosive plays will be key.
The Tide has the stable of players that can make it happen. It’s on them to execute, and the Tide coaching staff to cook up something special.
Create a Heisman moment
Saturday’s matchup includes two quarterbacks who could be serious Heisman Trophy candidates by the end of the season. If Jalen Milroe wants to make an early impact in the competition, a strong performance against Georgia would help him gain significant ground.
Milroe is the key to Alabama’s offensive attack this season, whether it’s demonstrating his elite arm talent, or as perhaps the Crimson Tide’s most dangerous number in the run game.
Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense is stout. An elite game from Milroe against UGA would undoubtedly mean more to his candidacy than anything he could have done against Western Kentucky, South Florida or Wisconsin.
Should Milroe put up a signature performance, it’d go a long way toward helping the Crimson TIde secure a win on Saturday.
